Dispensing valve



Oct. 31, 1961 l.. M. coLLlNs DISPENSING VALVE Filed March 12, 1958 INV ENTOR.

Em/nea M Cou/Ms BY l,

.far/ze 5 3,006,514 Patented Oct. 31, 1961 United States Patent Oli ice 3,006,514 DISPENSING VALVE Leonard Collins, Los Angeles, Calif., assignor to Pressure Dispensers, Inc., Hollywood, Calif., a corporation Y, of California Filed Mar. 12, 1958, Ser. No. 720,936 6 Claims. (Cl. 222-553) This invention relates generally to dispensing valves and relates especially to dispensing valves -for use with pour, shake or squeeze containers or bottles adapted to dispense nely divided solids and/or fluids.

The conventional fluid or solids dispensing means usually consists of an internally threaded cap adapted to be mounted onto a threaded neck or spout of a bottle or container. Such dispensing means has Ithe disadvantage that the cap must be completely detached from the container in order to dispense the contents therefrom, which leads to a second disadvantage, that of losing or misplacing the cap. Further, the conventional screw-on c'ap is generally not constructed so as to effect a leakproof seal.

Some one-piece dispensing caps, known in the prior art, need not be detached from the bottle when dispensing uids or solids, but, in general, these one-piece caps also `do not effect a leak-proof seal with the container.

In the prior art, dispensing caps are known which arel not required to be detached for dispensing -uids or granular solids and are leak-proof; however, these caps are unduly complicated in structure and therefore expensive, this type of dispensing cap or valve being generally constructed with `at least two distinct elements or parts.

Bearing in mind the foregoing lfacts, it is a major object of the present invention to provide a dispensing valve, for dispensing lluids and granular solids, that is not required Vto be detached during the dispensing operation and which is extremely simple in structure and inexpensive to manufacture.

-It is another major object of the present invention to provide a one-piece dispensing valve or cap for dispensing fluids and granular solids which is extremely simple in structure, and which is leakproof.

A further object of the present invention is to provide afone-piece dispensing valve which need not be detached from the container during the dispensing operation, and which effects a leak-proof seal with the container.

j These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be more clearly understood by reference to the following description and to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective View of my dispensing cap or valve mounted on a fluid or granular solids container;

FIGURE 2 is an assembled axial cross-sectional View in elevation along the line 2 2 of FIGURE 1 of my dispensing cap or valve and container, shown in open dispensing position;

.FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional view, in plan, of my dispensing cap and container therefor, along the line 3 3 of FIGURE 2 but shown in open dispensing position;

FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional view, in plan, of my dispensing cap and container therefor, along the line 4 4 of FIGURE 2, shown in closed non-dispensing position;

FIGURE 5 is an exploded axial cross-sectional View, in elevation, along the line 2 2 of FIGURE l of the neck of thecontainer and of my dispensing cap;

FIGURE 6 is a 'fragmentary axial cross-sectional view in elevation, of a modied form of my dispensing cap showing an automatic indexing means; and

FIGURE 7 is a cross-sectional view, in plan, along the line 7 7 of FIGURE 6.

The dispensing cap or valve of my invention is a unitary structure and is preferably made of a slightly de- 'formable chemically resistant plastic, such as polyethylene. The cap is preferably molded in the forms to be described, by conventional molding methods.

Referring now -to FIGURES 1, 2 and 5 especially, my novel dispenser cap or valve is designated generally by the numeral 10 and comprises an outer generally cylin'- drical housing 12 to one end of which is, preferably integrally, aixed a nozzle 14. The nozzle 14 comprises a nozzle tip 16, having an outlet passage 18 formed therein, and an annular nozzle shoulder 20 preferably integrally alxed to the nozzle tip 16 as well as being amxed to one end of the housing 12. The nozzle 14 is thus integrally affixed to the housing 12, and forms one end thereof.

A generally hollowed-out inner cylinder 22 is preferably integrally aixed to the inner wall 24 of the nozzle shoulder 20, the longitudinal axes of both cylinder 22 and housing 12 lbeing parallel. The cylinder 22 is spaced from the inner wall 26 ofthe housing 12 to thus form a cylindrical channel 28 (see FIGURE 5).

The spout or neck 30 of any conventional container 32, lto which my dispensing cap 10 is to be permanently axed, is generally cylindrical in shape and has a diameter substantially equal to the diameter of channel 28. An annular bead or rib 34 is preferably integrally molded to the upper end of the spout 30 for sealing purposes, as will be described.

In order to permanently assemble the cap 10 onto the container 32 it is necessary only to place the cap 10 onto the cylindrical spout 30 so that the channel 28 of the cap 10 is in alignment with the wall 38 of the cylindrical spout and then force the cap 10 towards .the base 40 of the spout 30. In so doing, the annular bead 34 which is made of a resiliently deformable material, such as plastic, is compressed, as it rides within the plastic-walled resiliently deformable channel 28. The bead 34 is expanded to its normal size as it is seated within a complemental space 42 formed, or molded, just below the nozzle shoulder 20 in the interior of the housing wall 12. In this manner, a leak-proof seal between the container spout 30 and the cap 10 is effected.

It will be noted that the housing wall 12 is enlarged at 44 to thereby act as a reinforcing means in the region of the enlarged annular space.

The inner hollowed-out cylinder 22 has, preferably integrally, mounted thereto an inner channel housing 45 in which an outlet conduit passage y46 is formed, one end of the outlet passage `46 communicating with the outlet passage 18 formed in the nozzle tip 16 and the other end communicating with the cylindrical channel 28 (see especially FIGURES 2 and 5).

It will be noted that an arrow 50, molded onto the cap 10, is in axial alignment with the outlet conduit passages 46 and 18 and that an arrow or index 52, molded onto the container 32, is in axial alignment with an inlet passage or groove 36 formed in the wall 38 of the container 32. The groove 36 is shown somewhat enlarged for purposes of illustration.

As the cap llll is initially seated on the bead 34 of the spout 30 during assembly, the indexing means or arrows 50 and 52 respectively area, preferably positioned, out of alignment. As best shown in FIGURE 4, it will be seen that there can be no communication between the inlet passage 36 and the outlet passages 46 and 18. However, as the dispensing cap is rotated about the spout 30 so that the arrow S0 coincides with the arrow 52, the inlet passage 36 is suiciently long to 1be placed into communication with the outlet passage 46, as best shown in FIGURES 2 and 3, the inlet passage 36 or groove running approximately One-half the longitudinal distance of the neck 30. Thus, it will be seen that by merely rotating the dispensing cap 10 to a point of indexing alignment, fluids or granular solids may be dispensed from container 32. The container 32 may be a plastic squeeze bottle, a glass bottle, or other conventional material. The on or olf position of the dispensing cap 10 is readily obtained by a glance at the arrows 50 or 52 to ascertain Whether they are, or are not, in alignment.

In addition to the aforementioned sealing action e-ffected by the bead 34 in its seat or space 42, another seal is eifected by the tight engagement of the walls of the spout 30 with the walls defining the cylindrical channel 28 above the level of the inlet passage or groove 36. This sealing elfect is best shown in FIGURE 2, wall 38 of the spout 30 tightly intertting between cylinder 22 and housing 12 and cooperating with the bead 34 tightly fitting -within annular recess 42 to insure a leak-proof joint when the cap 10 lies in the open position of FIGURES 2 and 3, or in the closed position of FIGURE 4.

The bead 34, once firmly seated, also firmly retains the cap 10 from movement in the direction of its longitudinal axis. Attention is also drawn to the fact that an extremely small quantity of plastic material is necessary to make the cap 10.

The indexing means 50 and 52 previously described, requires visual vattention inasmuch as the coincidence or non-coincidence of several arrows must be noted. An automatic indexing means not requiring visual attention, or attention of any sort, is shown in FIGURES 6 and 7. Generally the automatic on-oif indexing means comprises a projecting stop 60 formed or molded onto the spout 30 and cooperating with a guide or groove 62 formed in the housing 12. As the stop 60 abuts one end of the groove 62 yfurther relative movement of the cap 10 and'spout 30 is prevented, and the inlet and outlet passages 36 and 46 respectively will automatically not be in communication, -as best shown in FIGURE 7. As the cap 10 is rotated clockwise approximately 90 of arc, the stop 60 abuts the opposite ends of guide 62 and automatically aligns inlet passage 36 with outlet passages 46 and 18.

Attention is drawn to the fact that in both embodiments of the invention described herein, several uinlet passages, equivalent to the structure of inlet passage 36, may be employed, especially where more viscous iluids are to be dispensed. Also, it will be seen that where the outlet passages y46 and 18 form a right angle, different configurations could 'be used, asA Yfor example, an inlined outlet passage.

While several embodiments of my invention have been shown and described, it will be apparent, to thoses killed in the art to which this invention pertains, that changes and modifications may be within the scope of the invention. I therefore intend to be limited only to the following claims.

In a further modification, a portion of the exterior surface of the cap 10 may be knurled, as for example, in an annular configuration -about the center of the cap, the knurled band enabling one to readily rotate the cap to a desired position. v

I claim:

l. In combination, a dispensing valve and a container therefor having an outlet spout which comprises: a dispensing valve housing having a tirst and a second end; means defining with the interior of said housing a generally annular channel commencing at said first end and running parallel to the longitudinal axis of said housing to approximately said second end thereof, said channel being slightly enlarged near said second end; means defining an outlet passage in communication with said generally annular channel, and passing through said housing, said container outlet spout being adapted to rotatably and slidably engage the walls defining said channel and having an enlarged resiliently deformable bead at one end thereof which is generally complemental to the enlargement in said channel whereby to prevent axial displacement of said valve from said spout and to prevent leakage Ifrom said container, said container spout having an inlet passage formed in the Wall thereof communicating with the interior of said container, said inlet passage communicating with said outlet passage, through a portion of said annular channel upon rotation of said dispensing valve housing to a given position and being sealed from said outlet passage means upon rotation of said dispensing valve housing less than 360 from said given position.

2. The apparatus of claim l wherein said valve and said spout each have indexing stops aixed thereto adapted to prevent relative rotational movement as the valve and spout outlet and inlet passages are aligned for dispensing and for sealing.

3, The apparatus of claim l wherein said housing is reinforced in the region of said channel enlargement.

4. In combination, a dispensing valve and a container therefor having an outlet spout which comprises: a dispensing valve housing; means defining with the interior of said housing a generally cylindrical channel, said channel being slightly enlarged near one end thereof; means defining an outlet passage in communication With said generally cylindrical channel, and passing through said housing, said container outlet spout being adapted to rotatably and slidably engage the Vwalls dening said -channel and having an enlarged bead at one end thereof which is complemental to the enlargement -in said channel whereby to prevent .axial displacement of said valve from said spout and to prevent leakage from said container, said container spout having an inlet passage formed in the wall thereof communicating with the interior of said container, said inlet passage communicating with said outlet passage upon rotation of said dispensing valve housing to a given position and being sealed from said outlet passage means upon rotation of said dispensing valve housing less than 360 from said given position. l

5. A dispensing valve, for va container having an outlet spout, an enlarged bead on the end of said outlet spout and an inlet passage in said outlet spout communicating with the interior of said container, which comprises: a housing defining therewithin a ow channel, said flow channel being enlarged at one end thereof and complemental with the enlarged bead of said outlet spout, said housing being adapted to be rotatably engageable with said outlet spout, and the enlargement of said channel being adapted to be rotatably engageable with said complemental enlarged bead onV said outlet spout but preventing vertical displacement of said valve from said spout and preventing leakage from said container; and means defining an outlet passage in communication with said flow channel, and passing through said housing, the inlet passage of said outlet spout communicating with said outlet passage, through said flow channel, upon rotation of said dispensing valve to a ygiven position, and being sealed from said outlet passage upon rotation of 'said valve less than 360 from said given position.

6. In c container having an outlet spout, a rounded bead on the periphery of said outlet spout and an inlet passage in said outlet spout communicating with the interior of said container, an improved dispensing valve, rotatable to a dispensing and to a nondispensing position, which comprises: a housing defining therewthin a ow channel, said flow channel being enlarged at one end thereof and complemental with the rounded bead of said outlet spout, said housing being adapted to be rotatably engageable with said outlet spout, and the enlargement of said channel being adapted to be rotatably engagea'ble with said complemental rounded bead on said outlet spout but preventing vertical displacement of said valve from said spout and preventing leakage from said container; and means defining an outlet passage in communication With said flow channel, and passing through said housing, the inlet passage of said outlet spout communicating with said outlet passage, through said flow channel, upon rotation of said dispensing valve to a given position, and being sealed from said outlet passage upon rotation of said valve less than 360 from said given position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,061,462 Groman Nov. 17, 1936 2,106,470 Shonnard Ian. 25, 1938 2,464,222 Fazekas Mar. 15, 1949 2,638,613 Gunther May 19, 1953 2,711,846 Birchall et al June 28, 1955 2,808,183 Olson et al. Oct. l, 1957 2,828,895 Mart Apr. 1, 1958 

